Tiger Softball Team Wins Sectional
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The time when coach Craig Helfrich suspected his team would win Saturday's sectional championship game came after the top of the second inning, when he watched his Warsaw softball team worm its way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam.
"I told our assistant coach (Earl Barger), 'Things are going to go our way today the way we dodged that bullet,'" Helfrich said.
Eventually Concord ran out of bullets, and things indeed went Warsaw's way. The Tigers (20-11) won their first sectional title since 1995 by beating 15-14 Concord 2-0. Warsaw sophomore right-hander Michelle Liebsch, aided by Warsaw's sharp defense, pitched the complete game and upped her record to 11-5. She allowed seven hits - five in the first three innings - walked one and struck out eight.
Afterward, Helfrich looked like a little boy, bounding out of the dugout and prancing around the diamond, looking for anyone and everyone to hug. He leaped into arms of one of his players.
"It is our day," he said. "We deserved it. No one really gave us a chance to win the sectional with Elkhart Memorial here. Hopefully everyone sees we can compete with anybody."
Warsaw advanced to the championship game by beating 23-6-1 Elkhart Memorial in the second round.
Asked if she thought maybe, just maybe the Tigers would overlook Concord after winning that big game, Concord coach Peg Kelly said, "I knew they wouldn't overlook us because we had played them tough for 13 innings during the regular season. We beat them once, they beat us once. I thought they had an advantage being on their home field, but it didn't bother me to come here."
The 1999 season marked Kelly's return. She coached Concord to a brilliant 77-20 (.794) record from 1991-1994. She left for the next several years and returned in 1999.
Warsaw's defense carried the Tigers to the sectional championship.
They turned double plays in the second, third and fourth innings.
Concord loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with no outs in the second inning. Liebsch then struck out Jennifer Rowe for the first out. The next hitter, Shanna Thomas, lined to third baseman Jacquie Burns, who beat Concord baserunner Jenny Waterman back to the bag for the inning-ending double play.
"Jacquie made a huge play that saved a couple of runs," Helfrich said.
The play was just one of several sparkling defensive plays for Warsaw.
In the first inning, Concord had a runner on second with two outs. Warsaw shortstop Amie Poling ended the threat by diving to her left to spear a line drive for the third out.
Concord put runners on first and second with one out in the third inning. Tiffany Liles lined out to left fielder Laura Overton, who threw the ball to second base for another inning-ending double play as Concord's Kate Mitchell had broken for third.
Concord's Julie Bates reached first base in the fourth inning on Warsaw's lone gaffe of the day, a Poling error on a groundball. Bates tried to steal second but was gunned down by Warsaw catcher Christy Colt on a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play.
"They deserved to be champions," Kelly said. "They made three or four fantastic plays. This is when you make 'em. They probably kept us from putting four or five runs on the board."
For the third time in three innings, Concord ran itself out of an inning.
"We dodged bullets early in the game," Helfrich said. "Early in the year, we would have given up runs then just on mental mistakes. Usually young clubs would put their heads down when they get the bases loaded with no outs. But we made big plays."
Marie Brown and Melissa Himes, the first and third hitters in Warsaw's lineup, provided the offense. Brown, Warsaw's lone senior, went 3 for 3 and scored both runs. Himes went 3 for 3 and drove in both runs.
Brown doubled with one out in the third. Two batters later, Melissa Himes singled her home to give Warsaw the 1-0 lead.
Brown led off the fifth inning with a single and went to second on Overton's sacrifice bunt. Himes ripped a double to the left-field fence to drive in Brown and give Warsaw the 2-0 lead.
Concord junior left-hander Steph Hoover took the complete-game loss to finish the year 14-13.
Warsaw next meets 12-17 Huntington North, which beat 16-7 Homestead 5-4 in the Columbia City Sectional championship game. The Tigers play Huntington North, whom they shut out during the regular season, at approximately 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Tigers play the second game of the Columbia City Regional. Fort Wayne Northrop (29-2) plays Lafayette Jeff in the 11 a.m. game. The championship will be played at 6 p.m.
Afterward, Helfrich stood near third base clutching Warsaw's first softball sectional trophy since 1995.
"We have a good team," he said. "We have one senior. Our program is on the rise.
"It was just our day. It was our time to win. I feel good for Marie to win a sectional as a senior. This is my second year of coaching. This is awesome."
WARSAW 2, CONCORD 0
Warsaw Sectional Championship
Warsaw ab r h rbi
Brown cf 3 2 3 0
Overton lf 2 0 1 0
Himes 2b 3 0 3 2
Burns 3b 3 0 0 0
Poling ss 3 0 0 0
Colt c 3 0 0 0
Fribley rf 2 0 0 0
Jones 2 0 0 0
Kurosky dh 2 0 1 0
Liebsch p 0 0 0 0
Totals 23 2 8 2
Concord ab r h rbi
Stewart lf 3 0 0 0
Mitchell 2b 3 0 1 0
Blair rf 3 0 2 0
Steinhilber pr 0 0 0 0
Liles 1b 3 0 1 0
Hoover p 3 0 1 0
Waterman pr 0 0 0 0
Bates 3b 3 0 1 0
Miller ss 2 0 0 0
Rowe c 3 0 0 0
Thomas dh 2 0 1 0
Hershberger cf 0 0 0 0
Totals 25 0 7 0
Concord (15-14) 000 000 0 - 0
Warsaw (20-11) 001 010 x - 2
E-Bates, Poling. LOB-Warsaw 6, Concord 7. 2B-Brown, Himes, Liles. SB-Overton, Bates, Blair, Waterman. CS-Bates. S-Jones, Overton, Stewart.
Warsaw ip h r er bb so
Liebsch, W 11-5 7 7 0 0 1 8
Concord ip h r er bb so
Hoover, L 14-13 6 8 2 2 1 4
WP-Hoover. HBP-Thomas (by Liebsch). [[In-content Ad]]
The time when coach Craig Helfrich suspected his team would win Saturday's sectional championship game came after the top of the second inning, when he watched his Warsaw softball team worm its way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam.
"I told our assistant coach (Earl Barger), 'Things are going to go our way today the way we dodged that bullet,'" Helfrich said.
Eventually Concord ran out of bullets, and things indeed went Warsaw's way. The Tigers (20-11) won their first sectional title since 1995 by beating 15-14 Concord 2-0. Warsaw sophomore right-hander Michelle Liebsch, aided by Warsaw's sharp defense, pitched the complete game and upped her record to 11-5. She allowed seven hits - five in the first three innings - walked one and struck out eight.
Afterward, Helfrich looked like a little boy, bounding out of the dugout and prancing around the diamond, looking for anyone and everyone to hug. He leaped into arms of one of his players.
"It is our day," he said. "We deserved it. No one really gave us a chance to win the sectional with Elkhart Memorial here. Hopefully everyone sees we can compete with anybody."
Warsaw advanced to the championship game by beating 23-6-1 Elkhart Memorial in the second round.
Asked if she thought maybe, just maybe the Tigers would overlook Concord after winning that big game, Concord coach Peg Kelly said, "I knew they wouldn't overlook us because we had played them tough for 13 innings during the regular season. We beat them once, they beat us once. I thought they had an advantage being on their home field, but it didn't bother me to come here."
The 1999 season marked Kelly's return. She coached Concord to a brilliant 77-20 (.794) record from 1991-1994. She left for the next several years and returned in 1999.
Warsaw's defense carried the Tigers to the sectional championship.
They turned double plays in the second, third and fourth innings.
Concord loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with no outs in the second inning. Liebsch then struck out Jennifer Rowe for the first out. The next hitter, Shanna Thomas, lined to third baseman Jacquie Burns, who beat Concord baserunner Jenny Waterman back to the bag for the inning-ending double play.
"Jacquie made a huge play that saved a couple of runs," Helfrich said.
The play was just one of several sparkling defensive plays for Warsaw.
In the first inning, Concord had a runner on second with two outs. Warsaw shortstop Amie Poling ended the threat by diving to her left to spear a line drive for the third out.
Concord put runners on first and second with one out in the third inning. Tiffany Liles lined out to left fielder Laura Overton, who threw the ball to second base for another inning-ending double play as Concord's Kate Mitchell had broken for third.
Concord's Julie Bates reached first base in the fourth inning on Warsaw's lone gaffe of the day, a Poling error on a groundball. Bates tried to steal second but was gunned down by Warsaw catcher Christy Colt on a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play.
"They deserved to be champions," Kelly said. "They made three or four fantastic plays. This is when you make 'em. They probably kept us from putting four or five runs on the board."
For the third time in three innings, Concord ran itself out of an inning.
"We dodged bullets early in the game," Helfrich said. "Early in the year, we would have given up runs then just on mental mistakes. Usually young clubs would put their heads down when they get the bases loaded with no outs. But we made big plays."
Marie Brown and Melissa Himes, the first and third hitters in Warsaw's lineup, provided the offense. Brown, Warsaw's lone senior, went 3 for 3 and scored both runs. Himes went 3 for 3 and drove in both runs.
Brown doubled with one out in the third. Two batters later, Melissa Himes singled her home to give Warsaw the 1-0 lead.
Brown led off the fifth inning with a single and went to second on Overton's sacrifice bunt. Himes ripped a double to the left-field fence to drive in Brown and give Warsaw the 2-0 lead.
Concord junior left-hander Steph Hoover took the complete-game loss to finish the year 14-13.
Warsaw next meets 12-17 Huntington North, which beat 16-7 Homestead 5-4 in the Columbia City Sectional championship game. The Tigers play Huntington North, whom they shut out during the regular season, at approximately 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Tigers play the second game of the Columbia City Regional. Fort Wayne Northrop (29-2) plays Lafayette Jeff in the 11 a.m. game. The championship will be played at 6 p.m.
Afterward, Helfrich stood near third base clutching Warsaw's first softball sectional trophy since 1995.
"We have a good team," he said. "We have one senior. Our program is on the rise.
"It was just our day. It was our time to win. I feel good for Marie to win a sectional as a senior. This is my second year of coaching. This is awesome."
WARSAW 2, CONCORD 0
Warsaw Sectional Championship
Warsaw ab r h rbi
Brown cf 3 2 3 0
Overton lf 2 0 1 0
Himes 2b 3 0 3 2
Burns 3b 3 0 0 0
Poling ss 3 0 0 0
Colt c 3 0 0 0
Fribley rf 2 0 0 0
Jones 2 0 0 0
Kurosky dh 2 0 1 0
Liebsch p 0 0 0 0
Totals 23 2 8 2
Concord ab r h rbi
Stewart lf 3 0 0 0
Mitchell 2b 3 0 1 0
Blair rf 3 0 2 0
Steinhilber pr 0 0 0 0
Liles 1b 3 0 1 0
Hoover p 3 0 1 0
Waterman pr 0 0 0 0
Bates 3b 3 0 1 0
Miller ss 2 0 0 0
Rowe c 3 0 0 0
Thomas dh 2 0 1 0
Hershberger cf 0 0 0 0
Totals 25 0 7 0
Concord (15-14) 000 000 0 - 0
Warsaw (20-11) 001 010 x - 2
E-Bates, Poling. LOB-Warsaw 6, Concord 7. 2B-Brown, Himes, Liles. SB-Overton, Bates, Blair, Waterman. CS-Bates. S-Jones, Overton, Stewart.
Warsaw ip h r er bb so
Liebsch, W 11-5 7 7 0 0 1 8
Concord ip h r er bb so
Hoover, L 14-13 6 8 2 2 1 4
WP-Hoover. HBP-Thomas (by Liebsch). [[In-content Ad]]